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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spring · wind · board · pit · mouse · date · bear · bore

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pit — a hole
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. spring — the season
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. date — the fruit
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. board — a committee
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. spring — of water
  19. bear — the animal
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. spring — a coil
  24. board — a flat piece

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com